Monday, October 14, 2013 - 19:41
ACEP Scientific Assembly 13 opened in Seattle today with record attendance of 6,200 emergency physicians out of total ACEP membership of 33,000, also a record.
A strong delegatiion of UA DEM faculty and residents are in attendance, and a record number of our residents are presenting posters in the research section today. The residency programs also held receptions for medical students.
An opening film traced the evolution of emergency medicine from a crowded room in the basement of the hospital with no EM specialists, to today's state-of-the-art specialty. The film included footage from many recent disasters such as the Boston Marathon shooting to the Oklahoma hurricane, and profiled the heroism of EM physicians and ED staff in responding to these mass casualty events.
Shawn Achor from Harvard gave the keynote address discussing his book "The Happiness Advantage" with research showing that key predictors of success are 1) optimism in the belief that your behavior can make a difference; 2) strong social connection and support network; and 3) seeing stress as a challenge instead of a threat. Emergency physicians were characterized as being "adrenaline junkies" who were generally strong in all three areas and were practical problem solvers who were relied on by their hospitals to take on the most difficult issues.
Dr. Thom Mayer of George Washington University cited a quotation from Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead: "Somebody has got to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us." Emergency physicians are called on to solve the problems that others want to ignore or deny.
Tonight, DEM is hosting it's annual party for UA EM alumni at the Triple Door bar. Last year, over 80 alumni attended the party in Denver, and we expect even more this year. Stay tuned for pictures on the website!